Getty GLENDALE, AZ - The Chicago Bears hosted QB Trevor Siemian for a visit.
The future of Chicago Bears quarterback Nick Foles is being called into question after the team brought QB Trevor Siemian in for a workout, per the NFL’s March 22 waiver wire.
The Denver Broncos selected Siemian, who played his college ball at Northwestern, in the seventh round of the 2015 draft with the 250th overall pick, and the journeyman QB has bounced around the league ever since.
The Bears meeting with Siemian could signal the end of Foles’ tenure in Chicago, as his ties were to former head coach Matt Nagy. The Bears have already paid his $4 million roster bonus for the 2022 NFL season, which insider Mike Garafolo suggested may make Foles “more attractive (i.e. cheaper) to teams in a potential trade.”
On the subject of QB roster bonuses, the #Bears‘ Nick Foles is due one tomorrow (just like Matt Ryan). It’s $4m and it’s guaranteed so Foles is going to get it. But it’s half of what he’s owed in ’22, so he now becomes more attractive (i.e. cheaper) to teams in a potential trade.
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Will Bears Trade Foles?
Considering new Bears general manager Ryan Poles has traded superstar linebacker Khalil Mack while letting veterans like Danny Trevathan, Tarik Cohen, Bilal Nichols and James Daniels hit the open market, it’s fair to wonder whether Foles could be shopped — or outright released.
Trevor Siemian visited with the Bears today.
Nick Foles trade on the horizon?
If the Bears trade him, they’ll save $8 million in cap space, and if he’s released outright, they’ll add $3 million to the cap while eating $7,666,667 in dead money. A trade would be more favorable for Chicago, and it’s possible the Philadelphia Eagles could be interested in a reunion after trading backup Gardner Minshew, while the Atlanta Falcons could now use a reliable backup behind Marcus Mariota after shipping Matt Ryan to Indianapolis.
We’ll see if Foles has any takers in the trade department (he’d likely only net a Day 3 pick in return), but don’t be surprised if Chicago decides to keep him around to continue backing up Justin Fields, with the idea of adding Siemian as QB3, particularly considering Bears QBs coach Andrew Janocko is familiar with Siemian from their time together in Minnesota in 2018.
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Siemian: A Refresher on the Veteran QB
The 30-year-old quarterback has played in 33 games, starting 29. He spent his first three seasons with the Broncos before getting traded to the Minnesota Vikings in 2018, where he got to know Janocko. Siemian backed up Kirk Cousins the entire year, never seeing the field. During his three seasons in Denver, he went 13-11 as a starter, completing 59.3% of his passes for 5,686 yards, 30 touchdowns and 24 interceptions.
Siemian played for the New York Jets in 2019, backing up Sam Darnold, while most of his 2020 campaign was spent on the practice squad of the Tennessee Titans. The New Orleans Saints poached him from Tennessee, and he wound up backing up Drew Brees for the remainder of the 2020 season. He stayed with New Orleans last year and played well in six games and four starts, completing 57.4% of his passes for 1,154 yards, 11 TDs and three interceptions.
“We saw him as someone who was real quick and accurate with his decisions,” former Saints head coach Sean Payton told NFL.com in November of 2021. “Those are some of the things initially — his athleticism and the tape we had seen when he was a starter.”
Payton also noted the 6-3, 220-pound Siemian “graded out well” in his limited opportunities, so we’ll see if he ends up in the Windy City.
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